Air filter loader



Jan. 30, 1940. HUGHES 2,188,572

AIR FILTER LOADER Filed April 5. 1%? 5 Sheets-sheaf 1 FIG1 ED H N mow/152 H00H5- .WVENTQQ BI Gin/KM M A TTOPNEI/ Jan. 30, 1940. T. R. HUGHES2,188,572

' AIR FILTER LOADER Filed April 5, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-3 FIG. 2

mow/152 HUG/#55 INVENTOB ATTORNEY Jan. 30,- 1940. T. R. HUGHES 2,188,572I AIR FILTER LOADER Filed April 5, 1937 a Sheets-She et s 'FIG-4 moms 2.HUGHES ZNVENTOQ BY M M A TZOQNEY v Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED. STATESPATENT OFFICE American Air Filter Company,

1110., Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Delaware Application April 5,1937, Serial No. 135,100

10 Claims.

I It has been heretofore proposed to provide an air-filter unit composedof a removably securable pair of unitary open-ended mating frames,the'mating-end faces of opposed frames having corrugations which nestinto each other in mating relation. The corrugated mating face of eachframe is formed by serrating two of its laterally opposed outersidewalls to provide correspondingly opposed fingers extending in thedirection of air flow, the space between adjacent fingers on eachserrated wall being open on both sides, i. e., laterally inward andoutward. When the frames are mated, the fingers nest into each other innontelescoping abutting relation. In use a sheet of air filteringmaterial is interposed between and conformed in shape to the corrugatedfaces of the mating frames. After a suitable period of use the matingparts of the unit are separated, the soiled sheet of filtering materialremoved and the unit provided or loaded with a clean sheet. The presentinvention relates to a novel device for loading this character offiltering unit, that is to say for conforming a sheet of filteringmedium to the corrugations of the mating face of one of the frames,whereby such frame is conditioned toreceive the other frame and thusmade ready for use.

The principal object is to provide a simple and highly practical devicefor loading the corrugated faCe of a filter unit frame and one which iscapable of easy and quick operation to load one or a succession of suchframes.

Another object is to provide a novel device which functions to move theframe and to feed and conform the filtering material to it.

A further object is to provide a novel arrangement by which the size ofthe device is minimized for packaging and handling purposes and yetremains capable of easy and quick extension to 'a larger size which maybe more suited to its normal use.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawingswherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device with a track extension memberdetachably secured at one of its ends;

Figure 2 is a section along line 2 -2 of Figure 1';

Figure 3 is a plan view of the guide channel plate; and V Figure 4 is asection similar to the one shown in Figure 2 but with a filter unitframe in partly loaded position.

Frame The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a framecomposed of a fiat horizontal base member I and a pair of vertical sidemembers 2, all of which are suitably secured together to form a framewhich is U-shaped in cross section. These members, which preferably aremade of heavy sheet metal, may be reenforced by arranging a pair ofstruts 3 between and securing their opposite ends to the upper ends ofthe side members 2 to hold such members rigidly in spaced relation.

Track and track extension A frame-supported track, upon which an airfilter of the type having a corrugated support for the filter medium maybe movably supported, is arranged between the side members 2 above thebase I. This track includes a pair of spaced track members 4, one beinghorizontally arranged along each side member 2. Each track member 4 isspaced inwardly from, and secured at its opposite ends to, itscorresponding side member 2. The track, may, of course, be of any lengthconsidered desirable but, to minimize the size of the device and thusfacilitate its packaging and handling, the track members 4 areterminated at the opposite ends of the frame. Since that length of trackmay be inconveniently small during use, it is proposed to increase it byproviding, for each end of the frame, a track extension which may bedetachably secured to the frame. Such extension may consist of anauxiliary frame la. and a pair of auxiliary track members 4a supportedthereon in proper spaced relation. It can be detachably secured to theframe I in any suitable manner as by providing it, at one end, with apair of hooks 5 to hook detachably over a corresponding pair of pintles6 on the frame I.

Filtering material The filter unit frame or member F, whose corrugatedface is to be covered by a conforming sheet of filtering material, is,of course, to be moved along the track with its corrugated face facingoutwardly or upwardly and with one of its straight marginal edges, asdistinguished from its. corrugated marginal edges, forward so that itscorrugations extend sequentially in the direction of movement i. e. oneafter another in the line of motion. The filtering material may be cutin sheets of desired length and placed over the corrugated face butpreferably is fed from a roll I to the corrugated face as the unit ismoved through the device. While such a roll may be supported in anydesired way the upper ends of the side members provide a convenientsupport and are therefore notched at 8 to receive a roll supporting rod9.

Operating bars and guide channels In further accordance with myinvention means are provided, at what may be termed the loading area ofthe device, to press successive portions of the filtering medium fedfrom the roll into conformation with successive corruations of thefilter unit member and to hold one portion of the material inconformation with its corrugations during the interval in which anotherportion is being pressed into conformation with another corrugation.Such means includes a series of operating elements or bars I0 extendingcross-wise, i. e., transversely with respect to the line of filter-unitmotion, above the track with their opposite ends engaged in guidingchannels ll. Any number of bars, as are found desirable or necessary,may be used but excellent results can ordinarily be obtained with onlyfour bars, as illustrated. The guiding channels ll cooperate to form,and to direct the bars l0 successively along, an endless path having thefollowing successively arranged portions; a pressing portion whichextends into the loading area and down to the bottom plane of thecorrugations of a filter-medium support moving along the track; aholding portion which extends forwardly substantially along such planefor a distance not appreciably less than the pitch of said corrugations;an exit portion which extends from the holding portion outwardly beyondthe loading area; and a return portion which extends from the exitportion back to the pressing portion. During the inward travel of onebar along the pressing portion, one portion of the medium is pressed byit inwardly into a corrugation. During the forward travel of such bar,such portion is held in conformation with such corrugation so as topermit the next bar to press the next portion of the material intoconformation with the next corrugation without pulling the material fromthe preceding corrugation. It will be understood, of course, that thedownward and upward portions of the channels H are made to extendobliquely forward sufficiently to accommodate the forward movement ofthe filter unit.

Sequence of bar movement In order to move the bars in their order-edsequence along the channels ll, a rotatable control part or wheel i2 isplaced over each channel and centered slightly outward from or above thebottom portion thereof. Each control part or wheel contains a number ofuniformly spaced, outwardly extended slots l3, one for each bar Hl. Eachslot extends, from a point adjacent the center .of the wheel, radiallyoutward for a distance sufficient to cross the bottom portion of thechannel when brought over it and thence curves concavely outward in adirection which brings its outer end. to a substantially laggingposition relatively to the outer end of the radius along which itsradial inner portion extends. In this manner the bars are made to travelrapidly in the upper sections of the channel as compared with theirtravel in the lower sections thereof.

Drive With the foregoing arrangement it is necessary to drive the wheelsl2 since their rotation cannot very well be efiected by manually pushingor shoving the filter unit frame through the device. While the wheelsmay be driven me- Operation With an air-filter unit frame F, or thecorrugated filter-medium support of an air filter, properly placedon thetrack at the inlet side of the loading area of the device and with aroll of filtering material in place the operation of the device can beinstituted by pulling one end of the roll downwardly between the unitand the operating bars HI, movingthe unit inwardly manually 'orotherwise until it presses the filtering material against a bar lil andthen turning the handle l6 to rotate the wheels l2 in the indicateddirection of rotation. At the start, either an excess of filteringmaterial should be provided at the forward end of the air filter unit,or, the filtering material should be clamped between the front end ofthe unit and one of the bars Ill until a bar passes downwardly into thefirst corrugation sufficiently to clamp the filtering" material at thebottom thereof. With the filtering material thus clamped, successiveportions of it can be easily and quickly conformed to successivecorrugations and the filter unit frame moved through the device simplyby turning the crank handle I 6. It is possible also to load asuccession of frames simply by feeding one frame after another to thedevice. Of course, it will be necessary to cut the filtering material atthe end of one loaded frame or between loaded frames.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A loader for air filters of the type having a corrugatedfilter-medium support, said loader having a loading area through whichsaid support passes, during the loading operation, with its corrugationsextending sequentially along the line of motion, comprising: a frame; aseries of operating elements extending transversely of said line ofmotion; element engaging guide means mounted on said frame to guide saidelements along prescribed paths extending into and out of said loadingarea; and means for moving said elements along said paths and in asequence such that successive elements are adapted to enter successivecorrugations of a support passing through the loading area, pass to thebottom thereof and remain at the bottom until the succeeding elemententers and passes substantially to the bottom of the succeedingcorrugation.

2. The loader of claim 1, wherein: said elements upon enteringsuccessive corrugations are adapted successively to engage a support inthe loading area; and said moving means is operative, through suchengagements, to move said support through said loading area.

3. The loader of claim 1, wherein said guide means prescribe the sameendless path for all elements, said path comprises the followingsuccessive portions: a pressing portion which enters the loading areaand extends into the path followed by the bottoms of the corrugations ofa support therein; a holding portion which extends forwardly along saidpath in the direction of motion for a distance not appreciably less thanthe pitch of said corrugations; an exit portion which extends out of theloading area from the holding portion; and a return portion which 7extends from the exit portion to the pressing portion.

4. The loader of claim 1 wherein: said moving means includes a controlpart rotatably mounted on the frame and having a series of uniformlyspaced, outwardly extending slots opposite sides of said loading area,opposed endless channels into which each of saidelernents extend, saidchannels cooperating to prescribe a path along which the elements maymove, said path extending into and out of said loading area;

and means for moving said elements along said channels and in a sequencesuch that they are adapted successively to enter successive corrugationsof a support passing through the loading area, pass to the bottomthereof and remain at the bottom until the succeeding element enters andpasses substantially to the bottom of the succeeding corrugation.

6. The loader of claim 5, wherein said elements are relatively movableand wherein the path defined by said channels includes successiveportions which slant forwardly into the loading area, extend forwardlyalong the line of motion for a distance not appreciably less than thepitch of said corrugations, and slant forwardly out of the loading area.

'7. An air filter loader comprising: a frame upon and along which may besupported and moved a member presenting an outwardly facing corrugatedface, the corrugations of which extend successively in the direction ofmovement; means on said supporting frame extending across the path ofmovement of said member; said means from said path of member movement;means for moving said member forwardly along its path of movement fromone side of said elements to the other side thereof; and means formoving said elements successively along said endless path and in asequence such that each element enters the bottom plane portion of saidendless path before the preceding element leaves such portion; saidelements being adapted, during movement and after one corrugation ofsaid member has been moved into the path of inward movement of oneelement, to'move successively into successive corrugations of saidmember;

8. An air filter loader comprising: a frame upon and along which may besupported and moved a member presenting an outwardly facing, corrugatedface, the corrugations of which extend successively along its path ofmovement;

means on said frame defining, on opposite sides of "said path, opposedendless channels, corresponding portion of which extend inwardly intosaid path substantially to the bottom plane of said corrugations,forwardly along saidplane and thence outwardly from said path; a seriesof bars having their opposite ends extending into said opposed channels,said bars being adapted for successive movement along the pathprescribed by said channels; means for moving said bars successivelyalong said channels and in a sequence such that each bar enters saidbottom plane portion before the preceding bar leaves such portion, saidmeans comprising a control part mounted rotatably on said supportingframe over each of said channels on the outer side of the bottom planeportion thereof, each control part having a series of uniformly spaced,outwardly extending slots through each of which one bar extends; andmeans for rotating said control part; said bars being operative, duringmovement and after one corrugation of said member has been moved intothe path of inward movement of one bar, to effect the forward movementof said member and to move successively into" successive corrugationsthereof.

9. An air filter loader comprising: a frame on which may be supported amember presenting a adapted, when moved, to press successive porat thebottom until the next succeeding portion has been pressed substantiallyto the bottom of the next succeedingcorrugation; and means for movingsaid elements.

10. An air filter loader comprising: a frame on which may besupported amember present- I ing a corrugated face, said member being adapt" ed toreceive a sheet of material over its face; a series of relativelymovable operating elements mounted on said frame and adapted for movement along prescribed paths, each element being further adapted, whenmoved, to enter and pass to the bottom of a corrugation and subsequentlyto move outwardly therefrom; and means for moving said elementssuccessively into successive corrugations and in a sequence such thatone element closely approaches the bottom of its coro rugation beforethe succeeding element enters the succeeding corrugation and thenremainsat the bottom until the succeeding element closely approaches thebottom of its corrugation.

THOMAS R. HUGHES.

